The Best Cinnamon Roll Cookies Recipe (Gluten Free)

These gluten free and easy cinnamon roll cookies are soft and chewy, drizzled with coconut butter icing. Think traditional cinnamon rolls, in ooey gooey cookie form! Perfect any time of the year, but especially during the holidays! 

Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Roll Cookies

I still remember eating my first cinnamon roll at the local mall when I was in elementary school. It smelled so amazing walking by the shop, that my family and I had to stop to share one. It was gooey, cinnamon-y, and sickeningly sweet, and I enjoyed the heck out of it.

If you also love cinnamon rolls but don’t want a whole one to yourself, these delicious, soft, and chewy cinnamon roll cookies are the perfect treat. They are easy and fun to make, pretty forgiving if you don’t roll them evenly, and so tasty! Instead of the standard cream cheese frosting, I’ve made this recipe with a healthier alternative made with coconut butter and coconut oil. It still yields a deliciously creamy icing that gives these sugar cookies extra cinnamon roll flair. 

I almost called them cinnamon roll Christmas cookies because I always crave them over the holiday season. They come together quickly and I’ve made this recipe paleo, gluten-free, and grain-free! 

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Cookies

This cinnamon roll cookie recipe may look difficult to make, but it’s actually easy and fun! The part you want to take some care in doing is the rolling and the cutting. However, if you follow the instructions, it’s actually quite simple. Here’s how to make these soft and chewy cookies from scratch.

Ingredient Notes

Chewy Sugar Cookie

• tapioca starch
• coconut flour: I use this instead of all-purpose flour. It’s a great gluten-free and grain free alternative. 
• cinnamon
• sea salt
• baking soda
• coconut oil
• maple syrup
• large egg
• vanilla extract

Cinnamon Filling

• coconut oil
• coconut sugar: You can use brown sugar here if desired, but keep in mind that it will no longer be Paleo and refined-sugar-free. 
• cinnamon

Icing

• coconut butter
• coconut oil

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the Cookie Dough

1. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), combine dry ingredients: tapioca starch, coconut flour, cinnamon, sea salt, and baking soda, and mix together.
2. Add the wet ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract to the large bowl of the flour mixture. Stir together until a wet and soft dough forms.
3. Scrape out the dough into a plastic wrap, form it into a ball, and wrap it tightly. Chill for 10 minutes to firm up.
4. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and use a rolling pin to roll between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a large rectangle about 9″x12″ in size. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Remove the top parchment paper, and brush with 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Combine coconut sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar mixture in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the dough.
6. Use the bottom parchment paper, to lift up a shorter edge of the dough and start rolling as into a tight log– as tightly as possible. Keep using the parchment paper to help with the rolling. It’s okay to have cracks, just use your finger to smooth it out.
7. Transfer the rolled cookie dough log onto a cutting board, and loosely wrap it with plastic wrap. Chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the Cookies & Ice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Remove the log from the fridge, and use a sharp knife to cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Wipe the knife between each slice.
3. Place the cookie slices on the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, until lightly golden brown at the edges. Let the baked cookies cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
4. Make the icing by combining the ingredients in a small bowl and microwaving for 10 seconds until thick and creamy like maple syrup, or use a double boiler to melt it together.
5. Drizzle icing over the cookies.
6. You can serve right away, or allow the icing to cool and harden completely before storing the cookies in an airtight container for 4-5 days at room temperature, or up to 8-10 days in the fridge.

Recipe Tips

• It’s normal for the dough to seem a bit wet. This is why the chilling step is important. Do not skip on chilling the dough before and after rolling.
• Wipe the knife clean between each slice for a clean cut, with the spirals clear and visible.
• I recommend using high-quality coconut butter to make the icing. Cheaper brands won’t melt properly when heated and may get lumpy. This is my favorite brand.
• Cool completely before icing these homemade cinnamon roll cookies so the icing doesn’t melt. You want the white lines of drizzle on the cookies for a beautiful look and presentation!
• Feel free to use an electric mixer if desired, but a simple bowl and whisk will do the trick. 

Storage Tips

• You can store these cinnamon roll cookies for up to 4-5 days at room temperature in an airtight container, or up to 8-10 days in the refrigerator.

More Delicious Cookie Recipes

• 4-Ingredient Keto & Paleo Flourless Cookies
• Paleo Nut Free Gingerbread Cookies
• Paleo & Vegan Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
• Nut-Free Cassava Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Paleo Gingerbread Pancakes
• Taylor Swift’s Chai Sugar Cookie Recipe

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